Slartibartfast

IIRC most people pour the extra fluid in through the shift linkage. I'd bring a piece of wood to put under the jack... can't count on the trail to support a jack, especially if it's the wimpy stock bottle jack.

My dad always goes on about the resale value (usually, "you'll put more into it than it's worth"). I figure, unless I'm going to sell it, who cares what someone else would give me for it? And I'd rather have a vehicle I'm familiar with (under the hood and behind the wheel), that I can work on, that doesn't have a warranty to worry about voiding... and that I actually own. Plus, no car payments! (Except replacing parts... )

... gone? Unless somebody stole your knock sensor during your drive, it doesn't sound like it's a new problem... if the taped connector is broken, maybe somebody tried to fix it once, realized it would run without it, and decided not to buy the part? I thought it would throw a code without it, though...

Know anybody in the Air Force? "Hey, yeah, you got a Chinook we could borrow for a few minutes?"

I've never been into a VQ (hell, I've never even been into a lawnmower) but after seeing my dad spray himself with gas, I can say this: unless you pulled the gas pump fuse and ran it until it died before tearing into it, there's probably still pressure in the fuel line. Not much you can do about that at this point, but be prepared, wherever you open it up, it's likely to spray a little gas. That said, the more stuff you get out of your way, the more enjoyable the whole thing will be... there are few things more frustrating than working around stuff.

Drifted it into a curb? That would explain why it needed rear axle work...

I've run several positive leads from an empty relay slot above the fuse box. Runs my fog lights and driving lights with no issues, and takes a standard spade connector.

You could also redneck rig it with some alligator clip test leads and a dome light bulb. Just make sure it's unplugged at both ends before you start applying 12v to it. (A 9v battery would also work.) Also, a WD/HB cluster with airbags? I didn't know there was such a thing.

Mine started acting dodgy a few weeks ago when it was almost out of gas... turned out the fuel pump sucked some crud out of the tank. The shop was able to clean out the pump and it's worked flawlessly since. It wouldn't even start unless you floored it, and when it did start, it sounded horrible. It was still pushing fuel (as my dad found out when he undid the fuel line and got squirted), but I guess it just wasn't enough. Unless you've been filling up with some really nasty gas, the filter should be fine. I haven't changed mine since I got the truck, and I don't think we even changed it then... come to think of it, I should probably swap that out soon.

A PTO for a winch? Never would've thought of that... overbuilt is always good.

You might check the wiring harness between the speed sensor and the cluster. The cruise control is probably crud on the wipers behind the steering wheel, try cleaning those out first.

If properly sealing valves blow out the piston rings, the problem isn't the heads!

Mine hums. Not super loud, I've never noticed it when the engine's going, but when I turn the key to 'on' without starting the thing I hear a brief hum from the back as it pressurizes the lines.

Good to hear you got it. And yeah, I imagine you're a bushing-fishing expert by this point!

Couldn't hurt to check the wiring. Or pull the cluster, IIRC the tach has some screws that loosen up over time... you might be able to re-flow a solder joint or something.

I thought it was just a flush and fill?

Dunno if there's a bumper removal tutorial... the FSM might help, though. I figure, get a can of blaster and a wrench and take off whatever looks like it's holding the offending parts in place.

Looks great!

IIRC it's sort of tucked into the fluid tank, not sure how the r50 system is configured. Follow the fluid tube from the squirt nozzles. If you find the plug for the pump, you can test with a tail light bulb or something to see if it's getting voltage. If it's getting power, but not turning, it might be salvageable. I pulled a seized pump out of my WD, pulled it apart, cleaned up the bushings, oiled it, and I've been using it since.

Turbines are fast, but I can't imagine them developing the kind of torque to run a compressor or power steering. Seems like minor electrical generation/running the dome light would be about it. But I'd love to see what you come up with.

Not sure how the coil would cause this... seems like it would be spark or no spark, but I could be wrong. Since you don't need to measure vacuum exactly, perhaps you could make a redneck gauge. I'm thinking a one- or two-liter plastic bottle, with a vac line fitting in the end (try the drip line irrigation section at the hardware store), cut the bottom off, stretch a balloon over it. Epoxy a straw or something into the middle of the balloon... then when vacuum is applied, the straw moves. It won't give you numbers, but it should show the fluctuations James is talking about. You changed the TPS, but have you checked the wiring harness?

Is the exhaust sorted out already?

If it's loose, I'm inclined to say there's your problem. Tried vise grips?

I would check the wires to the battery... I saw a car once, when the owner tried to start it, everything went blank inside. Turned out the ground cable to the battery was so loose you could wiggle it. Tightened that up and it cranked, started, all good. When there's just a tiny path for current, it can't pass enough to turn the starter. I dunno what to say about the fuse box. If you narrow it down to there, there is a gargantuan screw-in plug behind it that you might check. Helps to remove the lower dash to access it. Last time I was in my dash I didn't screw it in tight enough, and half my lights weren't coming on.

My first thought is, this is what a turbo does. It uses air flow, but as the air expands it cools... so it's much cooler coming out than it was going in. I'd be interested to see just how much juice you could get from a hot exhaust... and whether that would be worth the additional stuff. Internal combustion does throw away a whole lot of heat... Maybe there's a way to tap into the engine coolant? It's already set up to get up as much heat as possible... of course, the antifreeze would hamper it steaming up, but as anyone who's pulled the rad cap on a hot engine knows... it'll still make steam. If you pulled pressure from it where it leaves the engine, that's probably its hottest point. I'm still skeptical on the whole hydrogen thing... seems like a whole lot of extra stuff to lug around.